According to reports, Mona Faiz Montrage, also known as Hajia 4Reall from Ghana, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison in the United States for her involvement in a $2 million romance scam. This additional day was added to her sentence to potentially allow for “good time,” as stated by the judge and reported by Inner City Press on Twitter.
Montrage, a social media personality and musician from Ghana, pleaded guilty in Manhattan Federal Court on February 21 to conspiring to receive stolen money. Federal authorities revealed that she managed bank accounts which held over $2 million acquired through fraudulent means. These funds were obtained by deceiving victims, often elderly and vulnerable, into thinking they were in romantic relationships with non-existent personas.
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The scams involved false promises such as moving gold to the US, resolving fake FBI investigations, and helping fictitious US Army officers in Afghanistan.
More to the case
In one instance, a victim was tricked into sending $89,000 through 82 wire transfers after Montrage convinced them that her father’s farm in Ghana needed financial aid. To further deceive the victim, she sent a tribal marriage certificate and used her real identity during several phone conversations to make the victim believe they were married.
Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams commented on the case, stating, “Romance scams such as Montrage’s harmed her vulnerable, elderly victims not only in the cruel betrayal of trust in the realization that their online romantic connection was fiction, but also by callously stealing their money.”
As part of her sentencing, Hajia 4Reall agreed to forfeit $2,164,758.41 and to make restitution in the same amount. Her defense team proposed that upon her release, she be allowed to return to Ghana immediately, bypassing detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a proposal to which the Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) consented.
Hajia 4Reall’s legal issues began in May 2023 when she was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States. She faced several charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years, and receipt of stolen money with a maximum sentence of 10 years. Initially, she pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, maintaining her innocence in public statements.
The US Attorney’s Office emphasized their dedication to prosecuting fraudsters. “This Office and our law enforcement partners are relentless in bringing fraudsters who target Americans to justice, no matter where they are,” said Attorney Williams.